Flowers and NAPP and Macaroni

Remember these flowers? I submitted this photo of them into my NAPP portfolio this week and it was selected as an Editor's Choice. Always so cool to be selected as the quality of photos is astounding. Makes me strive to always learn more, push more, try more.

I just HAD to go to the craft store today, Shade needed posterboard. Really there was no other reason that I would ever go into a craft store. Some watercolors may have just happened to land in my cart. I forgot how passionately I felt about cerulean blue, alizarin orange, cadmium red, veridian green and yellow ochre. Just rolling their names off my tongue makes me feel funny inside. I may just fondle them for awhile.

YOU - yes you - go make something. Be it dinner, a baby, a painting or a macaroni necklace. Put yourself out there.

Lain's Album

My friend Lain had directions for a cute little album on her blog. Her's was meant for all those wallet-size photos that come in the photo packages that you just can't give/throw away. I thought it would make a perfect mini gift album (thus mine aren't finished with photos or a title yet). It is also a great way to use some of that stash that you just HAD to have, but now can't find a use for. I'm famous for NEEDING more patterned paper than is humanly possible to use, and then never using the majority of it. My variation has 7 pages, plus a front and back cover and by slicing 1/2" off the long side of a standard 3.5" x 5" photo, this album will hold between 7 and a whopping 28 photos. Plus, thanks to the fold-out pages, there is ample room for journaling (less photos=more journaling, more photos=less journaling, duh.) The best part? You only need 20 minutes, 3 sheets of patterned or solid cardstock, a hole punch, and a scrap of ribbon. Of course, you can always embellish way more if you want! See Lain's directions here.

A couple LOs and responses

A couple new LOs to share. Digi products from Scrapgirls, DigitalDesignEssentials, DesignerDigitals and 2Peas. If you ever want to know what something specific is, please feel free to ask. I keep great records but am kinda lazy at typing it all out here. (And am totally appreciative of the great products available now!)

I had wonderfully nice comments and emails about the pear watercolor. Thank you! Patty asked what I used to make the black lines so crisp. It was just a Pilot Extra Fine Ball Pen. I used it to do the actual sketch first, and then went over the lines again afterwards. I really love that graphic definition of the black scribbly lines with the color. One of my favorite parts of watercolor paintings - the pencil lines you can see underneath - I just didn't have a pencil handy. And Patty, thanks for asking - you have beautiful work up on your blog, I was so glad to discover it!

Melanie, I'll have to think about it, but I am honored you asked! I'll let you know first!

Live in vivid color, outloud & shout.

Once upon a time, before kids, I painted watercolors. I bought, soaked, stapled, taped and stretched individual sheets of Arches onto a maple board. I painted one image at a time, with loose, juicy washes and frisket for masking and always a liberal dose of salt (it pulls the wet pigment from the paper and leaves wonderful white sparkles.) I loved it and thought I would make my living as a watercolor artist. Now, as I said, this was all before kids and finding a "real job" and life interferred. 16 years later, I haven't painted since. This makes me sad, because I love watercolor. Love it's fluidity and UN-crispness and unpredictability and glowing, translucent colors. By way of Donna Downey's blog, I was led to Kal Barteski, who's blog in glorious color and spirit reminded me that I. love. watercolor. Why did I let it drift away? Shame on me for letting 16 years go by without even noticing that I hadn't painted a thing. So last night I drug out my old tacklebox/watercolor box and unearthed a box of Staedtler watercolor crayons. Can't find my palette or brushes, so made do with these. (And I don't mean "made do" as an unfair/negative term, as they are a fantastic, fun, expressive medium all their own. Just meant it was "all I could find" at the moment.) What happened is 16 years of "it's been too long" and "i don't know what I'm doing" popped into my head and I froze. I sounded like my 8 year old when she's bored, "but what should I draaawwwwwwww...?" So I resorted to "the pear" that, thanks to Donna and Kal, seems to be a VERY popular fruit/subject lately, LOL. Love how it came out though, and more importantly, love how it made me feel. Think I'll be heading to the craft store for some fresh new watercolors and brushes!

I said you could do WHAT at 16?

I don't know exactly what happened, but this girl just walked out the door on her first, official, date. She liked this boy, but he was a senior (she is a sophomore) and we kinda' said things that may have led her to believe she couldn't date a senior (maybe saying "no, you can't date seniors" had something to do with it??) Today she says "I had an interesting conversation with Dad last night. He asked if I had a boyfriend and I said no, but that I liked someone. He said 'well, have you asked him out?' and I said no, he's a senior. And he said 'yea, so?' And I said, well, Mom says I can't date a senior, he's 2 years older than me. And he says 'I was EIGHT years older than her...'." So, of course I reply with "well, yea, but we were adults then, that's different. Age isn't so important then." To which she replies "you were NINETEEN when you started dating Dad." Um, yea, but that was different... LOL. So I say "well, not that it matters anyway, it's not like he knows you like him, or he likes you, or he asked you out or anything." And this is where it all changed. "Yes, he did, today!" Oh. Great. So then I point out there is only 2 weeks of school left and then she will be gone for most of the summer at her Dad's and 'the boy' will be going to college in the Fall, etc. And she looks right at me and says "it's JUST a date Mom." It was at this point that I remembered telling her for years that she couldn't date till she was 16, which, of course, she IS. Damn, I forgot that part. Um, OK, I guess you can go on an official date (thinking I still had a week or so to adjust to the idea.) Half an hour later, she texts me "can I go to Starbucks with M?" (sadly, we're lazy enough that if she is upstairs and I am down, many of our conversations occur in text messages, emails or cell phone calls.) I gulped the big gulp (no, literally a big gulp. ya know from 7-11) and said y-e-s. 20 minutes (and THREE complete changes of jeans and t-shirt) later, she was out the door. O.M.G. DJ is watching the baseball game (go Mariner's!) and every few minutes he just shakes his head and says something along the lines of "I didn't have any time to adjust to this." LOL. (In case you got lost earlier, "Dad" and "DJ" are 2 different people. "Dad" is her Dad, who lives in Seattle, and was my first husband. DJ is my husband and her step-dad. He has been her step-dad since she was 5 years old, and he is as shot-gun ready as any biological Dad, LOL.)

In other news, this LO was one of the 6 winners at the OneLittleWord blog. So cool! Their next challenge is: STOP. Ooh, another good one! Play along!

Oh, and I forgot to mention, Carsey's middle school was evacuated and all activities canceled today right as school was getting over because a gun was found on school properties. Is it weird that my knee-jerk reaction is to pull them out of school and move to a cement shelter in, like, the middle of Montana?